Birth Day Mark
by StkAmbln
Summary: On her twelfth birthday, Mabel will discover something really important about the day she and Dipper were born. (Origin of a certain birthmark, but that's not the main thing). Revised and corrected version.
1. Birthday

**Birthday**

_Piedmont, CA_

Mabel stormed into the house and shut the door behind her violently. The sudden noise alerted the people on the next room. Her mother came running from the kitchen.

"M-Mabel?"

Mrs. Pines asked in confusion. She saw her daughter standing on the living room with her backpack, having just arrived from school. Her breathing was heavy, her hands were turned into fists, and there was an extremely rare angry look on her face.

"Mabel!" Her mom said walking to her. "Sweetie… what happened?"

The girl didn't say anything for a moment. Then she looked at her mother and shouted.

"I hate him!"

She walked quickly to the stairs.

"Wha…" Her mom asked. "Who?"

Mabel stopped and turned around.

"DIPPER!"

She ran upstairs. Seconds later, the loud sound of her bedroom door closing was heard.

Mrs. Pines stayed there motionless, with a shocked expression on the face, her mouth slightly open. She wasn't completely sure about what had just happened.

The front door opened again, and Mrs. Pines turned around to see her son entering.

"Dipper! What happened to your sister? And why does she.."

Mom stopped talking as soon as she noticed the boy's appearance. His hair was completely wet and over his face, like he had been swimming. His T-shirt was soaked too.

"You… you… what…" She said as she pointed a finger to him.

Dipper sighed and let his backpack fell to the floor.

"Okay, please tell me what's going on because I'm totally lost." Mrs. Pines asked.

Dipper looked down with a sad expression and spoke.

"I think I just ruined our birthday."

_O_

Mabel leaned against the door inside her room. She had calmed a little bit, but she was still trembling.

_I shouldn't have done it… I shouldn't have done it…_ She repeated in her mind.

_That was too much… I think I hurt him._ She went on. _It was stupid… I should have…_

Mabel stopped thinking and let out a sigh of frustration.

"I shouldn't have done it." She whispered.

Closing her eyes, she recalled the events from about thirty minutes ago. Everything was perfectly fine until they exited the arcade at the mall. Then they walked near the fountain, and that was when they saw…

"Ugh!" Mabel opened her eyes and the anger returned.

"But he deserved it! He can't treat me like that!" She went to her bed and emptied her backpack. Many colorful objects fell over the covers. Mabel stared at them. When she bought them she felt so happy. But now, they looked so ordinary.

It was going to be an awesome party, but Dipper had to ruin it. She took a sparkling can and held it in her hand.

"Why did he do it?" She asked herself.

_FLASHBACK_

Dipper, Mabel, and two other girls walked out of Party Crashers Video Arcade. The twins had gotten out of school really fast and then they headed directly to the mall. They needed to pick up some "supplies" for their birthday party which was almost upon them. The video arcade offered hours of fun, as well as all kinds of items to whatever celebration anyone could imagine. The kids would've loved to have the time of their lives with the video games, but their parents had told them to be early at home because some relatives were showing up that afternoon.

"I can't wait for tonight, Dipper! This is gonna be the best birthday party ever on this side of the country!" Mabel said in excitement.

"Yeah, yeah. You say that every year, you know?" Her brother answered.

"I know right?! That's because every year is way much better than the last one!"

"You got that right, sister!" Said one of the girls at her side. "Nobody can blow up the roof at a party like Mabel!"

"Oh you." Mabel said, smiling widely at her friend. "That's the spirit, Angelica!" Mabel raised her hand for a high five.

"And there's much more of it, Mabellica!" The two girls hit her palms and laughed loudly.

"Save some of that for tonight, girls." The other girl said.

"I'm hoping they don't save too much." Dipper told her. "Danielle, can you promise me you will look out for these two so they don't do something beyond crazy tonight?"

"Well, that's totally out of my control. But don't worry, Dip. I'll try to be the mature one and keep them out of danger."

Mabel put an arm around Danielle's neck. "No she won't! She'll be the first one to jump into Mabel's pool of irresponsible fun!" She brought Angelica closer and put her other arm around her.

"Especially because it's gonna be my two best girlfriends the ones in charge of the surprise of the night! Come on girls, what is it? Mecha-ponies that shoot lasers from their butts? Or Candy raining from the roof?! Or Oh! Maybe the entire basketball team wrapped in a box! Cute boys in a gift box!"

Angelica giggled. "He he. Well, now that you mention it, actually it's.."

Danielle slapped her on the head. "Shut up! Surprise. Remember?"

Angelica rubbed her head.

"Besides." Danielle continued. "You are turning only twelve, Mabel. You are not that ready for boys."

"Of course I am! I'm ready since I started liking them."

"Uh, Mabel, I think Danielle has a point." Dipper said. "Twelve is a little early for you to start… well you know…. dating."

"Oh Dipper. You wouldn't understand. You are too young."

"What? Well… not younger than you!"

"Five minutes! Don't forget!" Mabel said. Dipper frowned. He wasn't gonna argue about this again.

"Can we go back to the really important stuff? The party, you know?" Angelica said. "So, Mabel, you're just gonna love what we prepared for you! And as if that wasn't good enough, we are gonna start the fun with…"

Mabel and Angelica came closer and yelled at the same time. "Silly String!"

"Yeah, that's a good one. But I don't think that would cheer up everybody that much." Danielle said.

"It will, if you have one can for every person and you organize a battle of Silly String!" Mabel said. "Ugh… I have like… ten on my bag."

"Don't forget the twenty I have on mine." Dipper added.

They finally reached the big water fountain that was on the center of the mall. Angelica said goodbye to them since she had to walk to the other side of the mall to take her bus.

"So, six o'clock! Don't you dare to be late!" Mabel told her.

"Are you joking?! I'd go with you right now if I could! I'll see you all there, guys!"

They said goodbye to her.

"Bye Dipper! I'll see you at the party!" She said happily.

When she left, they sat on a bench near the fountain since the twins needed to rest because of their heavy backpacks.

"Guys, look!" Danielle said pointing to a store. "It's that new frozen tea everybody is talking about!"

"Oh yeah." Dipper said. "They bring it from the Middle East."

"They say it's really good. You know what? I'm buying a delicious frozen tea for each one of my favorite twins in the world! Wait here." She ran to the crowded store. There was a line of about ten people waiting.

"That's gonna take some time." Dipper said looking at his watch.

"Sooooo, Dipper…" Mabel said.

"What?"

"Just in case you didn't notice, Angelica was really happy she would see you tonight."

"Well, yes. Apparently…"

"She likes you!"

Dipper got nervous. It wasn't that he didn't like Angelica, but she was as insane as his sister. He didn't know if he could survive a day with two girls like that.

"Well… I-I'm… not interested in that for the moment."

"Hmmm… we'll have to see what you say about that in the party."

Mabel turned around and started searching on her backpack. Dipper had a bad feeling about it. This night could bring some surprises. Dangerous ones.

But that wasn't his main concern right now. He looked at his twin, and he decided to put in words what he was thinking.

"Mabel."

"Yeah?"

"Were… were you talking seriously when you said you were ready… for boys?"

Mabel turned to face him. "I think I explained it well, Dip."

"No you didn't. You just said you liked boys. And I don't think that's enough."

"What are you talking about? It only takes a boy and a girl who like each other to fall in love!"

"Ok. Look, Mabel." He came close to her. "I know that… in the past weeks, you have kind of started to pay more attention to other people in school besides me and your friends… and that… some people have also started to pay more attention to you."

"So what? Is that bad?"

"No, not at all. It's just that…" He paused for a moment to think. "Some boys at school… are not that good for you."

"Oh, is that what bothers you? Don't worry, I don't like the ones who always have their clothes covered in mud. Or the ones who eat like pigs. They are disgusting!"

"Yeah… that's good. But I was talking about other boys. The ones who mean trouble. Like those who are always fighting and punching younger kids, and escaping from the classrooms. You know… like the one that was talking to you yesterday at lunch."

"Oh! You mean that cute boy with sparkling eyes who was taller than you! Wait. I didn't know he escaped from the class."

"Exactly. That's what I'm trying to say. He's not.." Dipper didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he was looking at something.

"Well, he must have had a good reason to leave the classroom. Someone that nice can't mean trouble. What was his name? It was a little funny."

"Calvin Falcony" Dipper said, narrowing his eyes.

"Right! I knew it had something to do with a bird.."

"No, Mabel." Dipper pointed behind her. "Calvin Falcony is coming this way."

Mabel looked behind her. Three boys were walking towards the twins. The one in the front was taller than the others. His hair was black and a little long. He had a black T-shirt, and stitched on it was the head of a red bird, whose eyes seemed to stare directly at whoever looked at it. Mabel thought it looked cute, rather than menacing.

"Hello there. Nice to see you, Pines twins." The boy said. He smiled at Dipper, who just glared at him. The boy turned to Mabel. "Especially you, pretty Mabel."

Mabel instantly blushed. "H-Hi, Calvin."

"So, I heard from a good source that today is your birthday. Have any interesting plans for later?"

"Well… we hehe we kind of have a little party at my house tonight…" Mabel answered.

"Really? A party? That's strange. No one invited us."

"That's because it's kind of a private party." Dipper intervened. "There's even a guest limit and we've already gone over it. So, I'm sorry pal. Maybe next year."

"Wha wha what?! Dipper, don't be ridiculous!" Mabel said. "Of course you're invited, Calvin!"

"Cool." The boy said. "Should we head there now? Or do you have some time for a little fun before?"

"Oh... in fact.." Mabel started.

"We just happen to have a little family reunion now." Dipper intervened again. "Which we are already late for. Come on Mabel, we must go." He took Mabel's hand and turned around.

"That's too bad. I was thinking we could hang out for a while in this nice mall."

Mabel let go of Dipper's hand. "Well, I guess a little 'hanging out' wouldn't take too long!"

"Yes, it will take too long." Dipper said. "…Besides… dad told us not to 'hang out" at the mall until Friday."

Mabel gave her brother a confused look. "B-but… it's our birthday! And we… we can make an exception!" She grinned widely at Calvin and got closer to Dipper. "Hehe… what are you doing?" She told Dipper without stopping grinning,

"Are you feeling oaky?" Calvin asked.

"Sure! It's just the heat of the summer!" She shouted.

"Yeah, it's really hot, but I have exactly what you need." Calvin extended his hand to one of his friends and he handled him a big soda cup. "An extra large frozen tea. From one of those countries I don't remember its name. It doesn't matter. It's exotic." He offered it to Mabel.

She took the beverage. "Oh! Now this is 'cool'!"

"Good! Now let's get going!"

"No!" Dipper yelled. Everybody looked at him. "Ahem… as I said, we should be at home by now."

Mabel laughed nervously. "Excuse me for a moment." He told Calvin and took Dipper some feet away.

"Dipper, please. I need you to do something for me."

"What?"

"Well, first of all, stop acting so weird. Second, I need you to tell mom and dad that I had to stay here for some more time because… I stayed with Danielle! I'm sure she wants to… buy me a before-party present!"

"What?! I'm not gonna do that! You're not gonna be with Danielle!"

"Yes, I am… for a while. Come on, Dipper! Calvin wants to be with me on my birthday! You know what that means?"

"Mabel, I know exactly what it means. And I don't like it at all! He's not good for you."

"Okay, maybe he's a little naughty, but he has been really nice to me. I just have to take this opportunity!" She said as she drank some of her tea using the straw. "Oh, so sweet!"

"No, Mabel. That's.."

"You owe me! Remember?!" Mabel cut him.

"Mabel… no, please. Anything else, but not this!"

"You have to do this for me. You have no choice. You promised!"

"Mabel..."

"I'll be home in one hour. Trust me, bro!"

She smiled at him and went back to the group of boys. Dipper stood there, not knowing what else to do.

"Hey Calvin! Turns out I do have some time to hang out after all!"

"Sweet, girl! You're not gonna regret this."

"We should better hurry. Hey, can you carry my backpack? It's a little heavy for me."

"No problem. I can.."

"Ok, stop right there!" Dipper called them.

They turned to see Dipper behind them. He had a very serious look.

"Dipper… we talked about this, didn't we?" Mabel said, a little annoyed.

"Mabel! That's enough! We are leaving right now!"

Mabel frowned. "Why?! Why can't I stay here? It's my birthday!"

"Because this isn't a good place to spend your birthday!"

"Hey man, calm down." Calvin said. "She's right. It's her birthday. She can do whatever she wants."

Dipper looked at Calvin in the eyes. "Look… Calvin. I don't want to be rude, but this isn't really your business."

"Well, it is, since I invited her. You should let her decide, bro. I mean, what could possibly go wrong with a little walk on the mall?"

Dipper took a deep breath. "Fine. You know what? I tried to be nice, but it doesn't seem to be working. To be honest, Calvin, I don't want my sister to hang out with you."

"Yeah, I can notice that. Why?"

"You're a bad influence on her. And she's not ready to deal with guys like you."

"Dipper!" Mabel yelled.

"Wow, that almost hurt me. But you shouldn't be that protective to your sister. She has to live her own live, you know?"

Dipper clenched his teeth. "That's not your decision."

"No it isn't. It's hers. And it seems she has already decided to come with me."

"She's just a little girl. She's too young for you…"

"Dipper!" Mabel walked to him and yelled. "Stop saying those things!"

Dipper looked at her. "We're now really late. Mom and Dad are gonna be mad at us… and dad is gonna know about this, you know what he thinks about dating." He took Mabel's hand again and started walking with her. He turned around to Calvin.

"And as I said before, there's no room for more people at the party." With that, he walked away, dragging Mabel.

"Dipper! Dipper! Stop it! You can't do this!" He ignored her. Mabel tried to resist.

"What's wrong with you?! That was my chance! You ruined it!"

"It's for your own good."

She struggled to release herself. "Let me go! Ugh! You're embarrassing me!" Mabel refused to take another step.

Dipper turned to her. "I prefer that than leaving you with those boys!"

"Why are you being so mean?! I didn't do anything wrong! I just wanted to have some fun!"

In that moment, Mabel could've sworn Dipper's face turned red. The boy was furious.

"Having fun? Just having fun?! That's all you can think about, right?!"

"What?"Mabel said.

"It's like everything is a joke for you! You can't be serious for a moment!"

Calvin and his friends were standing a few feet away from the twins, watching the scene that was taking place at the other side of the fountain. Some people also noticed the two preteens arguing.

"Hey Cal, can we go now?" One of the boys asked.

"Wait just a second. I want to see how this ends."

Danielle had finally reached the counter on the frozen tea store. "At last! I want two medium sized cups of that amazing tea of yours. My friends have been waiting forever." She turned to look at them. From her spot, it seemed like they were fighting. "Oh no." She got out of the line immediately.

"For you everything is rainbows and happy songs. You are too careless to see what's important!" Dipper yelled at Mabel.

"And what's so important?!"

"The world is not pure happiness, Mabel! Some people are not good! And some things are dangerous! You never even think about it! And that's so… silly!"

Mabel didn't have a quick response for that. She looked down. She felt as if something was boiling inside her.

"I'm not a little child, Dipper…" She raised her head. "And you don't know enough about the world either!"

"No. That's why I'm cautious, and it seems that I have to be cautious for both of us! I've had to take care of you always!... Gosh! You're like a baby!"

"Uh oh" Calvin said.

Mabel said nothing. She looked around and saw all the people who were watching around the fountain. There was Calvin and his friends, and also Danielle, who had a shocked expression on her face.

"Come on." Dipper looked away and pulled her. She didn't put any resistance. Some of her cold tea fell to the floor. She looked at the back of her brother with anger.

"We'll have to talk more about this at home. Are you listening to me, Mabel?... Don't you dare to give me the silent treatment. You can't.."

Dipper stopped as all of Mabel's frozen tea landed over his head. In the blink of an eye, he was completely soaked. The liquid was so cold that it paralyzed him, especially because he wasn't wearing his hat. Mabel set her hand free.

"Dork! Ugh! Dipper… you IDIOT!"

She threw the cup at his face and ran away.

The people around exchanged some words between them and then started to leave. Calvin and his friends passed by Dipper.

"Definitely not the best way to handle it, Pines." Calvin said to him.

Dipper didn't answer. He just watched the small figure of Mabel running to the exit of the mall.

"Dipper…" Danielle said behind him.

He turned at her. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't think of anything appropriate. After staring at her for some seconds, he turned around. Then he muttered a word he wasn't supposed to say and ran behind his sister.

_END OF FLASHBACK_

She lay on her bed. She wondered where Dipper was. Maybe he was too embarrassed to come back home. Well, if he was, he deserved it. _How could he say all those things in front of everyone? _She wouldn't talk to him for days, and neither would he. Starting today. So yeah, the birthday was cancelled.

There was a knock on the door.

"Mabel, sweetheart?" Her mom said. "Are you ok now?"

She didn't answer. It was the third time her mother knocked on Mabel's door and made the same question. Mother and daughter had a conversation about what happened some minutes ago, but after that, the girl had refused to abandon her bedroom.

"Mabel, there's someone here who wants to talk to you."

She sighed. _So he came back_.

"Mom, I don't want to talk to anyone now… especially Dipper."

The door opened slowly. Mabel stood up immediately. Were they gonna force them to reconcile just because of the party?

An old woman entered the room and closed the door behind her.

Mabel was surprised. "Grandma? What are you doing here?"

The elder chuckled. "That's the way you say hello to your grandmother?"

"I… I'm sorry. It's just that I wasn't expecting you."

"Oh, don't tell me you forgot I was coming for my grandchildren's twelfth birthday?"

Mabel suddenly remembered. "Uh… kind of."

The woman took sit on Mabel's bed. The girl joined her. An awkward silence surrounded them for a minute.

"So…" Mabel said. "Is everyone here already?"

"Well, your father will come later as they told me. But yes, everyone else is here." She made a little pause. "Including one little man who looks very sad."

Mabel frowned and looked away. Apparently she had been sent as a peace ambassador.

"Well, he should be! After what he did."

Mabel's grandma smiled and put an arm around her. "Very well. Now, why don't you tell me what happened?"

"Haven't they told you yet?" Mabel muttered.

"All that I know is that you were walking inside the mall. Then you met some boys and you started arguing between yourselves. And then, a angry girl decided to share her drink with her brother in a very impolite way."

"That's what they told you, huh?"

"More or less."

Mabel looked at her and just had to let it all out.

"The thing is that!… There was this cute boy, and he invited me a frozen tea, really delicious! And then he wanted to take a walk with me for my birthday. It wasn't anything bad! But Dipper started acting so weird! And saying things like I didn't know about the world and that I'm not serious! And that Calvin was a bad guy and he was dangerous and… and… and he yelled at me in front of my friend and all the people! And tried to drag me to the street!... And then he said I was a baby!"

Mabel stopped talking. She was again breathing heavily. She ran a hand trough her hair.

"Okay." Grandma said. "Calvin… he is the cute boy, right?"

Mabel nodded.

Her grandma thought for a moment before speaking. "Can you tell me how many times have you seen this boy, Mabel?"

"Well… counting today… just twice."

"Oh, I see. Do you know something about him, besides the fact he's cute?"

"…No…not really… Well, Dipper said he's one of those kids that… skips classes and… punches younger kids… sometimes."

"Okay." She said. Grandma broke her hug and took Mabel's hands on hers.

"Mabel… do you know why your brother did what he did and said those things?"

Mabel thought for a second. "…Because… he's my brother… and he… he's supposed to act like that."

Grandma smiled again and pressed Mabel's hand. "Honey, he did all that because he loves you."

Mabel stared at her grandmother's eyes and had a weird sensation. She knew she was still mad at Dipper.

"You know, Mabel. When you love someone, you don't want that person to suffer. You want him or her to be safe. And you also want that someone to be happy."

Mabel remained silent.

"Sometimes we don't know what's best for us. And sometimes we can't see the danger we're getting into. That's when the ones who love you come to help. And in many cases, we don't clearly understand what they are doing, and we even feel annoyed. Like when your parents punish you for something wrong you did… or like when your brother tries to keep you safe."

The girl hadn't thought about any of those things. She only knew that her brother was the villain in this episode of her life. However, now she wasn't feeling so sure about it. The words of her grandma were making her feel bad. She hugged herself. Mabel knew it all was true.

"That boy Calvin… I'm sure you like him very much, and he sure likes you. It's not bad that you meet boys and fell in love. But you will learn that being with the wrong people will lead you the wrong way. Dipper was trying to stop you from doing that."

"But he… he made me look like a little girl in front of everyone!"

"Yes… He could've been more delicate. But he's only a kid, like you. It was a mistake. I'm sure he's sorry about that."

Mabel thought about it. She was sorry too.

"Mabel, I came to speak with you because no one in this house wants that you two be separated today. It's your birthday! It's the day you two have been expecting for months, right? Do you want to just let it pass?... But more important, do you really want to be angry with your brother, when you should be celebrating with him instead?"

"…No… I don't want that…" She whispered.

She stood up. "I know he didn't want to embarrass me. And despite he did it, he was worried for me." She took a few steps and turned around.

"But now I'm also thinking on what he said… about me not being serious and that he had to take care of me always… He was right… about some things… I'm not serious the whole time, but that's not bad. I'm just happy and enjoying life. He on the other hand… I think he doesn't understand it."

Mabel walked some more around the room while rubbing her elbow. "He always tried to protect me, and I was fine with that… But this time, it really irritated me."

"You don't like that your brother cares for your safety?"

"No, it's not that… but… I can take care of myself, and it looks like he doesn't think I can."

"He just wants to be really sure you're fine."

"He doesn't have to… and besides, it would be good for him to worry less for me. Yes, I'm not serious. But he's way too serious!"

Grandma stayed quiet for a moment.

"Mabel, you can't ask Dipper to stop worrying about you."

"Why not? It's not like it is his job!"

"…Perhaps… he thinks it is."

"Then he shouldn't think that way. Because if he's gonna be like this from now on, he's gonna ruin everything for me!"

This time grandma was silent for a longer time. Mabel thought she was angry at her. Until she finally spoke.

"Honey… do you remember the day you were born?"

Mabel wasn't expecting such a question.

"Grandma… of course I don't."

"Well, I remember it perfectly."

She patted the bed beside her. Mabel came to sit intrigued.

Grandma looked at Mabel. "You know that you and your brother were inside your mommy before being born, right?"

"Well, duh… yes. I'm not that ignorant… Wait, are you gonna tell me how do babies get in there? Because I've always wanted to know.."

"No sweetheart. You'll have to wait for that. Hopefully, your parents will tell you about it soon in an appropriate way… Right now, I'm gonna tell you how you and Dipper got out from there."

"Hmmm… Okay, but I think I've heard that story before."

"Not like this." She smiled. "Mabel, do you know why you are five minutes older than Dipper?"

"Because I was born first?"

"And do you know why you were born first?"

"I… I guess it was… fate?"

"It could've been that. However, I can tell you fate didn't seem to be really on your side that day. You see, it all started really good. Your mom to at the hospital without trouble. Everything was on schedule and ready. All your family was there. When twins are born, it's a special occasion.

The doctors were total experts and because of that we were so calmed. That's also why they noticed right away something was wrong…"


	2. Birth Day

**Birth Day**

_Twelve years ago_

"We have bleeding… Uh, it's too much. That's not normal… The babies' heart sounds?"

"Everything good, doctor."

"Is there any problem?"

"Nothing we can't handle, Mr. Pines. Jill! Call Emma, please."

"Is it… too much blood?" Mrs. Pines asked.

"It's okay, darling." Mr. Pines held her wife's hand and tried to comfort her. After all, the doctor said there was no problem. He was about to change his mind.

"Okay guys" He said. "It's gonna be more complicated. We have a little emergency here."

"What?! You said it was okay!" The father said.

A nurse came running. "What is it, Scott?"

"Emma, we are making the C-section."

"What!? Why?!" Mr. and Mrs. Pines asked at the same time.

The doctor stood up as he prepared to move the mother to the surgery room.

"Mrs. Pines, one of your twins' umbilical cords has broken, that's why you're bleeding. We have to make a Cesarean section before that baby.."

"Doctor! The heart sounds are irregular!"

"Which one of them?!"

"It's the girl… wait… oh my, it's… it's both of them."

The doctor's face changed.

"D-Double rupture?" Emma asked scared.

"Damn it!" The doctor pushed the chairs around. "Make space in the surgery room!"

"You tell me what the heck is happening with my wife!"

"Mr. Pines, both babies' cords ruptured. The cords transport the blood from your wife to the babies. Without cords there's no blood. Without blood there's no oxygen!... Jimmy!" He yelled to a young male nurse behind him. "Keep your eyes on the ultrasound screen!"

"Scott!" another doctor called from the surgery room some feet away.

"What!" The doctor turned around.

"I don't know what's going on… the… the equipment is dead…"

"Dead?!"

"The lights! The anesthesia machine! Nothing is working!"

"That room was prepared an hour ago!"

"I don't know what the hell happened! It was working fine and everything just shut down!"

Scott was shocked. This couldn't be happening. Cord rupture meant C-section immediately. He couldn't believe they weren't able do it just when both cords had broken.

"We… we…"

"Doctor!" Mr. Pines yelled. "You can't do the C-section? Is that what you are saying?!"

"…We… we still… Emma! What's the nearest surgery.." Scott started but he was interrupted by a loud cry from Mrs. Pines.

"Ahhh! Doc… I… I think the baby is coming now!" The mother said in pain.

Everybody got close. The doctor examined Mrs. Pines.

"Yeah… that's the boy, guys." He looked at the husband. "She has to push now."

"Okay darling, it's time. Push! Come on, do it!"

Mrs. Pines took a breath and pushed.

"Good… good" The doctor said and the mother pushed harder. "Way to go! Keep it like that!" He turned to the others. "…I think we'll have to do it this way after all."

"Oh no" Jimmy said. "Doctor, their hearts are really weak!"

"…Okay… Alright, they are both head-down. This boy is almost out. If we hurry.."

"Scott!" The other doctor from the surgery room came close to him and spoke alarmed. "She can't wait to be born secondly! We have to take them out now!"

"Adrian…" Scott said. "You said the machines were dead… We can't operate!"

"I know!... But we can…" He turned around. "Emma! Get a surgery room.."

"I've already done it." She said with the wall telephone on her hand. "…The nearest available surgery room is five stories above us… but it's not prepared."

Adrian turned to Scott. The last one spoke. "Do we have time?"

Jimmy's voice sounded again. "Guys… the heart sounds are slowing down too fast! If they don't get oxygen soon, they will be in serious trouble!"

Scott made his calculations. Five stories. Room unprepared. Anesthesia… Too late. Brain damage. No, worse than that.

"Doctor!... Doctor!... Doctor!" Mr. Pines grabbed him by the collar. "Doctor, do something!"

Scott looked at the eyes of the scared man. Both of them knew this was bad, but Scott knew how really bad it was gonna get.

He separated from the desperate father and walked to the other doctor on the room.

"Adrian… what now?" He asked.

His friend shook his head. "We both know… but it's your call, Scott."

He considered everything again. The situation indicated that a C-section must be done. However, he knew it wasn't realistic to think the twins were gonna resist until they start the operation… But if they continued the delivery, they could save the boy. But then it would be too late for his sister. Her only hope was surgery, but it was gonna take too long. Moreover, they would be eliminating her brother's only chance to survive.

He already knew what the only option was, and it was really bad news for the parents. He faced the rest of the medical crew and the entire family.

"None of them will reach surgery on time. We are gonna take that boy out." He said with determination and came close to Mrs. Pines, ready to receive a child.

"What about my daughter, doctor?!" The woman spoke with a broken voice.

This was more difficult than he imagined. He sat in front of the woman, but wasn't able to look her in the eyes.

"I… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… we… we can only get one out…"

Mrs. Pines' face filled with horror. "No… No! No! Nononono! No…"

"Please doctor! You have to do something! Anything!" The father said.

"I can't, okay?! If we go up there we lose them both! If we stay here, we can save your son!"

"Please!..." Mrs. Pines said crying. "You have to save my little girl!"

"…There's only time for one… By the time we have the boy here… it'll be too late for her."

Mr. Pines put his hands on the doctor's shoulders. "Are… are you sure you can't do anything about her?"

"Yes…" Scott said nodding. "Right now… we have to hurry so we can save your son."

The father nodded slowly. "…Okay." He looked away and went back to his wife. He kneeled beside her.

"I'm sorry, babe… we did all we could… but… she's gone…" He said holding his tears back. "Now we need you to help the other one."

"No! Don't say that!"

"Be strong… everything will be fine… you just have to… push, okay?"

"I can't…" She said with a broken voice.

"Do it! Please do it!" His husband begged.

Mrs. Pines felt her world come down. Someone grabbed her hand. It was an older woman.

"Mommy!... Don't let my little girl die!" She said through tears.

Her mother caressed her cheek. "Oh honey, I'm sorry… But you have to be strong… your son is about to be born…"

Mrs. Pines wasn't able to speak anymore. She closed her eyes and squeezed both her husband's and mother's hands. Then she did what they asked.

"Good, Mrs. Pines! Keep it that way!" The nurse said.

"You can do it! You can do it!" Her husband told her.

The doctor took a look at the mother. "I can see his head, Mrs. Pines! He's almost here. Just push and breathe!"

The mother cried from pain again and closed her eyes harder. The baby's head became visible with every push, but then it slipped back inside again.

"Come on! Come on!" Scott muttered. "Get out of there!" He was now talking to the baby. "If you stay there, you are gonna die!"

The next thing the doctor knew was that he stopped seeing the baby's head.

"What…"

"What's the matter?" Adrian asked.

"He… he… he went back…"

Mrs. Pines let out a louder cry of pain.

"Where the heck did he go?!" Adrian yelled.

"I don't know! He was there, about to come out… and then he got inside!"

All the nurses and doctors reunited around Scott.

Mrs. Pines took her hands to her belly.

"What's going on… Ahh! What are you doing?!" She yelled, feeling even more pain.

Her husband tried to hug her. "What happened?! Someone tell me?!"

During the sudden chaos, Mrs. Pines' mother step aside, too affected by the horrible moment they all were going through. She could just observe her daughter suffering. However, she saw something else on the corner of her eye.

She didn't know exactly what she was watching on the ultrasound screen, it didn't make sense. Later, she would understand it.

The young man beside the screen saw it too. "No way…" Jimmy said.

"Okay… He's coming back! I need you to push really hard now!" Scott told Mrs. Pines.

The woman was breathing so heavily by now, but she managed to make an extra effort. With every minute that passed, the baby's body became more visible.

"Here he comes!... He's almost here!…" Scott said.

After some seconds, a baby cry was heard. And it was the most comforting sound everybody in the room had heard for a while.

"Well done Mrs. Pines… you did it really good…" The doctor said relieved, as he attended the small newborn. As he had expected, the cord was completely broken. The baby was really pale and the breathing was uneven. "Write down the hour, Emma." Scott held the baby. "You are a very very lucky boy, you.." He shut up suddenly.

"What now?" Emma asked.

"It's… the girl… I have the girl…"

"…How in the world…"

"Ha… She's alive!" Scott yelled.

Mr. Pines looked closer. "You… you said the boy was first.."

"MABEL!"

Mrs. Pines shouted as loud as she could. "Mabel! Is she alright?! Give her to me!"

The doctor put the baby on her mother's chest.

"Oh my precious baby…" She said, panting. "I thought… I thought I had lost you..." Mrs. Pines caressed her daughter's head.

"She's… so pale." Mr. Pines said. "Why is she pale?"

"It's for the blood she lost." Scott said. "Jill! She's gonna need the air mask! And prepare a transfusion!"

The nurse took the baby from Mrs. Pines' arms. "She'll be fine. We are gonna take good care of her."

"How did this happen?" Adrian said.

"I have no idea." Scott answered him.

"He pushed her…"

Everyone turned to Jimmy when they heard his voice.

"Excuse me, Jimmy?"

"T-The boy… weren't you watching the screen?" He said. No one answered. "He got inside again… he moved… and he pushed her to the exit… t-that's what I think I saw…"

They didn't say a thing… Mabel's grandmother broke the silence.

"Well, what about him now?!"

The doctors exchanged looks. Scott had thought the girl was gone, but she came out. That meant that her brother…

"Is he gonna be fine?" The mother asked, concerned again. "How is he? What's gonna happen to him?"

"Mrs. Pines… we're gonna take him out too… but he's not gonna be fine."

"Please… You have to help him…"

"You remember what I said? That there was only time for one of them to be.."

"Yes!... I know… But you said my daughter wasn't gonna make it… and she's here!"

Scott didn't have a response to that. However, he had thought that baby was gonna die, and yet she was alive. She was barely breathing, but she was alive. Maybe, just maybe, there was still a chance…

"Doctor?" The mother asked.

The doctor looked at her. _What are you waiting for, Scott?_

"We have one more baby coming, people!" Scott shouted. "Everyone take your places again! We are still half of the way!"

The crew instantly obeyed. Only two nurses stayed beside the baby girl to take care of her.

"Scott." Adrian came close to the doctor, trying not to be heard by the parents. "What are you doing? Do you realize how long that boy has been there?"

Scott just looked at him. He was gonna try anyway.

"Get ready the resuscitation equipment." He whispered.

"Doc" Jill said, examining Mrs. Pines. "I think he's almost at the opening."

"…Okay, that was fast. We are gonna do this. Mrs. Pines, just push!"

A couple of minutes passed. The mother cried. Her family surrounded her, trying to give her strength. The doctors and the rest of the crew just waited.

Mr. Pines kneeled beside her wife. "Come on… Just a little more and you're gonna have him in your arms."

Finally, Scott issued the last instructions.

"Just a little more!... He's right here!..." He gently pulled.

"…He... He's here…" He said while holding a baby boy in his hands. A broken cord attached to his little body.

However, there was silence.

There wasn't a cry this time. Scott looked at the tiny human being. He was pale… and wasn't moving.

_Cry…_ He said on his mind. _Come on, cry please_ He begged one more time while pressing on the baby's body, but there was no answer.

_Shit_

"Doctor…" The mother said in a weak voice. "Give me my son… Please give me my.."

"He's not breathing! We have to ventilate!" The doctor yelled. "Jill, the temperature! Jimmy, the heart!"

Everyone ran to their position as Scott took the baby and placed him on a table. Jill came and put a plastic wrap over the boy, while Jimmy took his pulse. The doctor listened to the baby's heart with a stethoscope.

"Not good, let's inflate his lungs! Adrian, clear the airway!"

"Wait!... Where's my baby?!" The mother took her husband's hand and pressed it. "What are you doing to him?!"

"Doc, what's wrong with our son?!"

Emma got close to them. "He lost too much blood and oxygen and he's not breathing… they're gonna try to resuscitate him."

The answer left the parents speechless. The mother could only mutter. "No… no… no…"

Mr. Pines walked quickly to see his son. The nurse stopped him.

"Please Mr. Pines! Let them help him!"

"NOOO! He can't die!" The mother yelled.

Her husband looked at her and came back. "He… he's not gonna die…" He told her.

The doctors had introduced some tubes inside the baby's mouth. They took them out and now they had placed an air mask over his face. It was connected to a bag containing oxygen, which the baby hadn't been receiving for about five minutes now.

"Airway is cleared. There's no breathing." Adrian said.

"Ok, aerate the lungs!... Somebody clean the blood from his head."

Jill gently rubbed the baby's head with a cloth. She couldn't remove all the blood stains though.

"Uh… doctor… I think it's… facial trauma."

The doctor took a better look. There was some kind of bruise above the baby's eyebrows.

"He hurt his head?" Adrian said.

"With what?" Scott said. He touched the boy's colored skin. There was a strange pattern of reddish lines right on his forehead.

"There's no bleeding… it looks like an inflammation…" He said.

"Isn't it a birthmark?" Jill asked.

"…But it looks like it just happened. Birthmarks don't just appear in…"

"Doc! I can't detect the pulse anymore." Jimmy said.

Scott suddenly remembered they had an emergency going on. He passed the stethoscope to Jimmy.

"Tell me how low it is!" He told Jimmy. He then helped Adrian to hold the mask over the boy's face and pumped air.

"A hemorrhage?" Jill said, looking at the baby's mark. "Could some vessels have damaged because of the lack of oxygen?"

"Doc, it's lower than 60 beats/min." Jimmy said.

"My God…" Scott said. "Ok guys. We stabilize him first, and then we take care of whatever that on his forehead is."

Five minutes passed.

"He's gonna need much more blood than his sister! Jill, make sure we have enough!"

"He's not responding… if he continues this way.."

"We are not giving up, Adrian!"

Adrian looked at him worried. The heart hadn't been working well for a long time now. That could lead to an outcome they had seen many times before.

"The heart rate Jimmy!"

"Still under the limit.."

"Emma! Adrenaline!"

Emma came close and injected the baby. He didn't seem to get better. They kept filling the boy's lungs with air. After some more minutes, there was a change.

"Heart rate is close to 60 beats/min, but is still very low!"

"Damn it!" Scott retired the air mask. He placed his hands on the baby's little chest and started to compress it. "Another adrenaline shot, Emma!"

Adrian looked at his watch. Fifteen minutes. The boy wasn't reacting. Adrian doubted he would, and even if that happened, they would have to face some serious consequences.

Scott injected the baby. "Emma, prepare one of bicarbonate and one of dextrose too!"

Adrian came close to his colleague. "Scott, if that doesn't work… you know that's all."

The doctor looked at him. He wasn't gonna give up. This wasn't over yet.

Nothing happened. The boy didn't show signs of recovery. Scott kept giving compressions and checking if there was breathing. Behind the doctors, the family waited expectantly. Some were hugging, others had moved away to the back of the room.

"Jimmy?"

The young man shook his head. "Nothing, doc."

"Alright… Emma, the dextrose, and one more shot of adrenaline.."

"Scott, please… you have to tell the parents." Adrian said to him.

"Tell what?!"

Adrian turned around. Scott looked behind his elbow. Mr. Pines was right there, breathing fast and with a scared look.

"Resuscitation isn't working…" Adrian said. "…I'm sorry but… too much time has passed."

The father opened his eyes widely. "W-What… does that mean?"

"…It means we have to try harder!" Scott yelled and went back to his work. "Give me that!" He snatched a syringe from Emma's hands and injected the baby. Then he pressed his chest again.

Mr. Pines looked at the doctor that was bent over his son. Then he looked at the one in front of him.

"C-Can't you still help him?"

"We're trying, Mr. Pines… but he's not responding. At this point, we… have to discontinue the resusci.."

"He's gonna make it, Adrian!" Scott shouted without stopping the compressions. "I know he can do it!"

Adrian came close to the doctor. "Please… it's been more than fifteen minutes. You know what that means, right?"

"I've already ventilated… I have to move the blood... and reinitiate the heart… and then…"

"Stop it now... Scott. You hear me? Stop now!" Adrian said raising his voice.

Mrs. Pines got scared with the yelling. "What's happening?... What's happening with him?!"

"I'm trying to save this baby, Adrian!"

"You can't! You tried everything! He's gone!"

"No… You have to keep trying!" Mr. Pines yelled.

"Emma, pass me the bicarbonate!"

"No, Emma, stop right there!" Adrian put a hand between her and Scott. "You don't have to do this, Scott."

"Please, don't abandon my baby!" Mrs. Pines tried to stand up from the bed. A nurse ran to stop her from falling to the floor. "Doctor you can't just let him die!"

"If he thinks he can save him you should let him do it!" Mr. Pines yelled at Adrian.

"Mr. Pines, we cannot do anything else for your son. It's too late, I'm sorry…"

Mrs. Pines sat on the bed. "I have to go and help my son!"

The nurse held her. "There's nothing you can do, Mrs. Pines."

"Let me go! I have to help him!"

"Jill! Come here!" The nurse called for help.

"You're sorry?! You didn't do anything for him! Let the doctor do his job!" The father yelled.

"I'm also doing my job, Mr. Pines! Even if your son comes back, his brain has already been injured. He could be severely damaged for life… I know it's hard… but you have to understand and make a decision." Adrian said.

The mother fought against the two nurses that tried to keep her on the bed.

"LET ME GO!" She screamed really loud. "I WANT TO SEE MY SON!"

A low baby cry was heard from the other side of the room. All the yelling had scared the little baby girl who was receiving attention from other nurses.

Adrian looked in the direction of Mabel, and then he turned to the father.

"You have to decide Mr. Pines. You… there's no use in extending this for a longer time."

Mr. Pines had an angry look. He turned around and heard her daughter's crying. He saw her wife struggling with the nurses too. He then looked at Scott, who was still trying to revive the baby.

"Come on… Come on!" Scott said, talking to the boy. "You can do this, buddy!"

"The doctor is doing everything he can, Mrs. Pines…" The nurse said.

"Let me go with my son! I WANT TO SEE MY SON!"

Mr. Pines looked at her wife's face one more time. He realized she was suffering so much. And he wasn't able to do anything about it.

The doctor didn't stop. It had been like twenty minutes since they were trying to bring the boy back to life.

"You can do it! I now you can!" Scott kept talking to the baby. "You didn't go through all this for nothing!"

"You have to leave it, Scott." Adrian said one more time.

"He's not gonna wake up… right?" Mr. Pines said as he watched his son.

Adrian looked at him. The anger on his face had disappeared and the doctor could see tears forming in his eyes.

The father watched as the doctor injected the boy yet one more time. Then he pressed on his chest again. The baby's body moved with every compression and then remained still.

"Enough…" Mr. Pines whispered. "No more, please stop."

Adrian nodded silently. He walked to Scott.

"… Mr. Pines wants you to stop."

"He's alive! I think I just saw him moving!"

"…That's just blood going to the head, Scott."

The doctor didn't pay attention.

"Scott, it's enough… Scott… Scott…"

Adrian took his arm.

"Dr. Myers.."

Scott shook his arm violently and turned around.

"I'M TELLING YOU HE'S ALIVE!"

The doctor's yell caused Mabel to start crying again.

Adrian didn't say anything else. He just walked back. The other doctor resumed the compressions.

"You have to wake up now, you listen to me?! Your parents are expecting you!"

He could hear Mrs. Pines sobbing. Her husband had returned to her side and was also on the verge of tears.

"You can't give up now!" Scott yelled again. "You have to fight!"

He also listened to the boy's sister. The girl was crying louder.

"Do it… do it for your sister, okay?" He said. "You don't want her to be alone… You're not gonna leave her alone, are you?!"

He compressed some more times.

"Come on boy! WAKE UP NOW!" He yelled before stopping.

The baby's body stopped moving as soon as the doctor did the same.

He listened one more time with the stethoscope.

Dr. Scott Myers stood immobile for a minute, staring at the boy. After all that he had done, there wasn't any response. He separated from the little body slowly.

Everybody watched the doctor standing there with his back to them. Then he turned around. He saw each one of the faces that were watching at him. He tried to talk, but words died on his mouth. All Scott could do was carrying both hands to his face and taking a deep breath. He cursed on his mind.

After a moment of silence, he slowly looked at his watch and spoke in a weak voice.

"I… I'm declaring him dead… Emma… write down the hour."

The nurse closed her eyes and walked back.

"NO!"

Mrs. Pines screamed again. Her husband just hugged her tightly.

Adrian put a hand on her friend's shoulder. Scott looked at him.

"You… you were right." He said.

Scott had almost never lost a baby. The few times he did, it had happened before he had been able to do anything. But this one… For some reason, he had believed he was gonna bring him back.

Despite he had done everything he knew, and even beyond that, Scott felt guilty. There must've been something he did wrong. Or maybe the equipment failed, just like that from the surgery room… that piece of junk… That was what caused all the trouble in the first place. How in hell did it stop functioning? Had everything worked normally, they would've done the C-section, and both babies would be with their mother now. That boy would be alive now.

Scott walked slowly towards the parents. He had to say something to them. At least they still had one baby.

He stopped in front of them. They were still hugging and crying. Scott opened his mouth to speak, but he wasn't able to.

A sound behind him paralyzed the doctor.

It sounded like a cough, a very weak one.

The doctor didn't know when he moved and shortened the distance between him and the small table, but he was now bent over the baby again. He looked at him for some seconds. There wasn't any movement. Scott took the stethoscope and listened.

There was beating… and it wasn't slow.

Scott leaned closer to the baby's face. He waited with expectant eyes, not even blinking.

Suddenly, the boy opened his mouth and gasped.

Scott let out a sigh of relief and laughed slowly.

"You just scared the hell out of me, buddy." He whispered.

Everyone else behind Scott also heard the sound coming from the baby, but they didn't know what was happening. Jimmy walked to the doctor.

"What is it, doctor? Can you hear anything?"

Scott handled him the stethoscope. "Take this. Hear it for yourself."

Jimmy listened. He also let out a small laugh. "It's beating… h-he's still there!"

He turned around and yelled to the group. "His heart is still beating!"

Mr. and Mrs. Pines remained silent. They had stopped sobbing.

"Ok, Jimmy. You keep hearing his heart, I want to know when he recovers fully."

"He's over 60 already." Jimmy said.

The doctor smiled. He had the boy's face on his hands and watched as his little mouth opened and closed slowly, letting his lungs fill with oxygen.

"Way to go, little buddy. Breathe all you want." At this point, Scott had forgotten he was talking to a baby who surely didn't understand him. "Let me help you a little."

The doctor grabbed the air mask and placed it again over the boy's face. He pumped a few loads of oxygen.

"Doctor?" A voice behind him said. "Is he… alive?"

Dr. Myers turned around to see Mr. Pines. Shyness on his voice. Bloodshot eyes.

"He's more than alive, Mr. Pines." The doctor answered.

The baby emitted a sound under the air mask. Scott removed it quickly.

"Wow, wow. It's okay. I guess it was too much air." He said to the baby, who opened his mouth and coughed."It's okay… just breathe.."

The newly born opened his mouth again and let out his first cry ever, a very loud one.

"Okay!" Scott said laughing. "We don't need this anymore!" He put the air mask aside.

As soon as he heard his son crying, Mr. Pines closed his eyes and put his hands over his face as he breathed heavily.

"Thank God…" He whispered.

The nurses rushed to Scott to see if they could help with anything, but also to see the baby they had considered dead a moment ago.

Mr. Pines turned to his wife, who was still sitting at the edge of the bed. She had a shocked and scared expression. Jill was holding her hand. He walked to her.

The mother could just stammer. "He's… He's… He's…"

"He's alive." Mr. Pines told her, holding her by the shoulders.

Tears covered her face again. "He's alive… My baby?!"

Her husband smiled widely. "Our son is alive, darling." He said and kissed her.

Scott checked the baby's skin. It wasn't exactly pink because of the blood loss he had suffered, but he definitely looked much better than some minutes before.

"Heart rate, Jimmy?"

"Over 100 beats/min, doctor." Scott smiled. The baby had stopped crying and was breathing normally. And that was the important thing. He had a will to live.

"Well in that case guys, I think I can say he's out of danger. Could somebody pass me a cover?"

"Here you go." A doctor said, offering him the piece of cloth.

Scott took it. "Thanks, Adrian."

Adrian smiled at him. "You were right… All the time. Excellent job, Dr. Myers."

Scott smiled back. He wrapped the baby in the cover. "Where's Emma?" He asked his partner.

"Oh… Poor Emma. I think it was too much for her. She went outside and I haven't seen her." Adrian said. "I'm gonna go and find her. She's not gonna believe it."

"When you find her tell her that we'll need to give this little guy a transfusion." Scott took the baby in his arms. "But now…"

He turned around and walked to the mother and the father, who were still hugging.

"Ahem… Mr. and Mrs. Pines, here's somebody you would like to finally meet."

Mrs. Pines looked at the doctor and what was on his arms. She extended her hands hesitantly. Scott deposited the baby carefully on them.

"There you go. He's safe now." The doctor said.

The mother caressed her son's head silently. Her breathing had become fast again.

"What… what's this?" She said, stopping her fingers at the strange mark on the baby's forehead.

Scott suddenly remembered about it. "Well you see… that's just a birthmark."

"Oh… " She said. "But… Is he really safe? He didn't get hurt, right? Is he gonna need any special treatment.."

"We'll give him a blood transfusion, just like his sister. But other than that, he's totally fine, Mrs. Pines. He's a healthy and normal boy." Scott said.

Mr. Pines put an arm around her wife's waist. "Don't worry. He's fine." He said looking at her. Then he gently touched his son's face. He smiled. "He's perfect… just like you." He said looking back at her.

The mother smiled back and held her son closer to her face. Words came out from her in a tiny voice.

"Oh my God…" She said as tears of happiness invaded her eyes. "Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!"

Her husband kissed her again. Everyone around, nurses and family, approached the couple to congratulate them.

Mrs. Pines' mother came in front of her daughter and kneeled.

"Look, mommy…" She said, still in a low voice. "He's my son… and he's alive!"

"I see him, honey. He's beautiful. They're both beautiful. I'm so happy for you."

Mrs. Pines took a breath and a smile filled her face again.

"Doctor?" She said. "Our daughter is fine too, right?"

"Absolutely." The doctor answered.

"Well, then…" She turned to her husband. "Sweetheart, do you want to hold him?"

"It's okay. He has to be with you right now."

The mother chuckled. She came closer to her husband's face. "Please hold him… It's just that… I need to pass out… for a mommm.."

Mrs. Pines closed her eyes and collapsed over her husband. She almost dropped the baby, but her mother took him.

"Wowowow! Don't do that!... Doctor!"

Scott quickly took her hands and examined her. He checked for her pulse.

"It's okay, everyone! She's fine. It's only the emotion and all the effort." He announced. "Mrs. Pines… Mrs. Pines… Can you listen to me?"

The mother mumbled something. The doctor looked at her pupils using a little light.

"Babe! Honey, are you okay?"

"Mrs. Pines… It's okay… Can you hear me?"

"…Yeaaaaahh…" She said. "…Who are you?"

"I'm Dr. Myers. You just suffered a little dismay. Don't worry, you'll be fine."

"Hmmmm… You just take care of my babies." She said.

"Don't doubt I will." He said and turned to the father. "She's fine, let's lay her on the bed… Okay, just hold her hand like that, Mr. Pines. Jill, stay with them. Give her some space, people! Let her breathe!" Everybody step back a little.

Scott looked at their worried faces. "Okay, nothing happened! Births can be tough, right!? But we did it, guys! Everybody, good job! All of you…"

The nurses started cheering and clapping. The Pines family just hugged emotionally.

The doctor took a deep breath and looked around. "Oh, Emma you're here! Uh, take the boy from Mrs. Pines' mother and make sure he gets back all his blood… Uh… Also check if everything is fine with the girl… Great job, guys! All of you can take a rest."

Emma noticed the doctor spoke with a tired voice. "I'll do it, Scott... Hey are you okay?" She said, looking at him. He seemed to be exhausted.

"Yes… I will be okay. I only need to sit…" He said, heading to the exit of the room. "I'm gonna go outside for a while… You take care of everything… Good job everyone!... Yeah… Wow… could really use a sofa right now."

He walked out the room and fortunately found a sofa on the hall. He let himself fall on it. He removed the doctoral hat from his head and closed his eyes for a minute.

He then felt someone else took sit beside him.

"That was a hard one, right? Although, it could've been worse."

Scott opened his eyes and saw Dr. Adrian Moss.

"Well, that's why it's called 'labour', I guess." Scott answered.

"Yeah." Adrian said. "Had you seen anything like this before?"

"You mean like… double cord rupture, a whole surgery room that mysteriously becomes useless, twins exchanging their birth order, and… oh yes, a newly born that survives twenty minutes of apnea… all in one single birth? Something like that?"

"Yeah… me neither." Adrian said, smiling. "Speaking of which, do you think his brain will be fine? That was too much time without breathing."

"I didn't want to make the parents more nervous. We can run some tests to check his head tomorrow or later, but honestly, I think that if he came back after all that and he doesn't present any complications, all his systems must be working perfectly." He said closing his eyes again. "Say, coffee would be great now, would you mind.."

"I was thinking that if we do those tests, then maybe we can take another look at that thing on his forehead."

Scott opened his eyes.

"You don't actually think that's a birthmark, do you?" Adrian asked.

"No but… I mean, I wasn't gonna tell them I didn't know what was it, right? Of course I know birthmarks start forming months before birth, so they certainly don't look like that when the baby comes out. This one looked so… fresh."

"What about what Jill said? Do you think the apnea could have caused it?"

Scott shook his head. "I don't know, I've never heard of something like that happening. But, besides that, there's no other possible explanation. He couldn't have gotten hurt like that inside the mother."

Adrian tapped his fingers over his legs. "Could he have caused it to himself when he was moving inside the womb after he got back in there?" He asked.

Scott gave him a questioning look.

"You do remember what Jimmy said, right? After the girl came out instead of the boy."

"I remember it, Adrian… I don't really think that a baby could've done all what he said."

"He did go back inside."

"He… or 'she'." Scott added. "Yes well, a baby was about to be born and I don't know why he or she decided to return to mommy's belly. But then she just came back. She must've been the closest to the cervix. There's just no way they switched places."

"Then, what you're saying is that Jimmy really didn't see anything on the screen?"

"… Look, I don't know. This was really weird. Maybe he… misinterpreted the ultrasound. Maybe I also did it and the girl was the one near the exit all the time." Scott said, too tired to keep thinking about it. "Anyway, if that were a bruise on his forehead, then we must have hit him by accident, because nothing inside his mother could damage him like that, even if he had moved like Jimmy said."

"Interesting." Adrian said. "The lack of oxygen combined with an unusual effort may have provoked.."

"That's really interesting. If you assume that baby is some kind of acrobat."

"Well, the images are there. We'll just have to check them."

"Very well." Scott said standing. "This was the rarest birth I've have attended. About that birthmark, we won't probably find out what happened. The only thing I'm sure is that it happened some minutes ago, not months ago."

Adrian let out a small laugh. "Hmm. That's funny. Literally a birthmark."

_O_

One hour later, Mrs. Pines was on her bed, holding her twins. They had both received blood transfusions and their vital signs were normal. Only Mr. Pines was with the mother, since the doctor had asked the other members of the family to leave the room so she could rest a little.

"So, what I'm trying to say is that fortunately I was wrong." Dr. Moss said to the parents. "Some decisions are taken based only on the experience we have. Sometimes doctors can only follow their instincts… and also I wanted to apologize for yelling at you, Mr. Pines."

"It's okay, doc." Mr. Pines said. "I think I also yelled at you, so I'm sorry… I'm just glad Dr. Myers didn't give up… and saved our son."

Scott smiled. "Just doing my job."

"Not 'just' doing your job, doctor." Mrs. Pines said. "You did save my babies. If it wasn't for you and your team, maybe I would be holding only one… or none."

"Oh, come on." Scott said. "Don't be like that. Besides, the babies always help themselves. Sometimes I tell my friends that during birth, babies do the fifty percent of the work and the mother does the other fifty."

"Then what do you do, doctor?" Mrs. Pines asked.

"Well, somebody has to take the credit, right?"

Everybody laughed with the doctor's joke. He looked at some papers he had on a folder.

"Well, first thing we'll do tomorrow is an MRI, that's a brain scan. We have it scheduled for 8 AM, and then we'll make other tests. So, I think these babies should get enough sleep."

"Okay, but, why do you need to scan their brains? You never mentioned that before. Is there a problem with them?" Mr. Pines asked.

"Not at all. I'm just following the standard procedure. When there are complications like the ones we had, it's suggested to perform an MRI in order to check the brain and other organs. You don't have to worry, I'm sure these two are fine."

"Okay" The mother said. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Hey doctor." Mr. Pines said. "You said that the boy was first… why did our daughter was born first?"

Scott had once again that feeling that he wasn't completely sure about the possible explanations for this. He didn't want to tell the parents about something he couldn't explain. So he went for the most logical option.

"Sometimes twins can change their positions at the last moment. I guess that's what happened, and it seems that we didn't notice it on the ultrasound. My mistake."

"Hmmm. Well, I understand it. I can hardly see anything on those images." Mr. Pines said. "I was sure that my boy was gonna be the older one though. I hope he won't be annoyed for being the 'little brother'."

Scott laughed a little. "It's not a really big difference, Mr. Pines. She beat him only by five minutes."

"Yeah, sweetheart." Her wife said. "Only five minutes! I'm sure they won't mind about it at all."

"Yeah… I guess you're right."

The mother looked again at the babies. "God, they are so identical. I wouldn't be able to say who is who if it wasn't for this little man's birthmark… Hey do you know what it looks like?"

Mr. Pines took a better look at it. "…Uh, is it… some kind of animal?"

"No! Come on! It's the Big Dipper!"

"Oh! You mean the constellation! Yeah… it's similar… very similar indeed."

Scott just smiled. _They bought it._ He thought. _It's not that bad anyway. I mean, I'm pretty sure it doesn't represent any danger. It's just something I don't know where it came from._ However, he still wanted to examine it better. He was also going to watch those ultrasound images to see if he could get some answers about what actually happened.

But that could wait. Right now, he only wanted to enjoy the happiness that every successful birth brings. He approached the now complete family.

"So, she is Mabel, right?" He looked at the little girl and then focused on her brother. "Then, how do I call him?"

Mrs. Pines exchanged a look with her husband.

"Well, you know, with Mabel we knew it right away, but we couldn't decide on one for him. There are some names we like, and also there's the rhyming thing… and besides, after what happened today, we want to take a little more time to pick one name that… suits him perfectly."

"Oh… that's great." Scott said. He thought for some seconds before an idea popped into his head.

"Hey, you know what rhymes with Mabel?"


	3. Birthmark

**Birthmark**

"…And well, everything went normal after that. No more unexpected complications. You and Dipper fully recovered and came home with your parents a few days later."

With that, Grandma finished her story.

Mabel didn't say anything. She just sat there, staring at her grandmother. After a while, she looked away.

"I know some parts are difficult to understand." The woman said. "If you want to ask me.."

"I understood everything, grandma." The girl said.

"Ok"

They both remained silent for a minute. Then Mabel spoke again.

"Dad and mom… they never told me about this… why?"

Grandma sighed. "Well, sweetie… that's because for them this is only another nice grandma's story… they… don't think it actually happened."

"What?"

The woman let out a small laugh. "There were many 'strange' things that happened that day, and the family had also many theories about it all. So your parents always thought mine was just another one."

Mabel looked at her grandma with surprise. "But they were right there! And… didn't you tell them?"

"Of course I did. I told them many times. But, you see, Mabel… sometimes… amazing things happen, and they are so incredible that people can't just believe they are real unless they see them with their own eyes… and it's worst when the only proof you have is the word of an old woman."

The girl didn't understand completely why their parents had hidden this information from her. She trusted her grandmother, but then again, it was so… unbelievable. And was it true there wasn't any proof?

"That screen where you watched it…" The girl said. "They had to watch it again, right?"

"Ah yes. Another inexplicable event." Grandma said trying to sound mysterious. "There seemed to be some… malfunctioning with the power system that day, which caused that surgery room to become useless. Well, that same electric failure caused some blackouts on the entire floor hours later and apparently ruined the ultrasound machine and the computer connected to it, so all the recorded images from that day got lost forever."

"Oh come on!" Mabel said in frustration. She thought for a second. "What about that guy who was near the screen?"

"Jimmy. He saw it first and thanks to him I understood everything. I tried to talk to him during the next days, but I couldn't find him. However, he had spoken to everyone else on the room about it. The doctor told your parents and me that the boy had probably made a wrong observation of the images due to all the chaos. That it was impossible a baby could do that. When I told him I had seen the same thing, he said… ultrasound could be confusing for people who don't have experience. His conclusion was that you and Dipper switched places earlier that day and nobody noticed."

The woman made a pause to think. "But… I know exactly what I saw, and since that day I've been sure of it."

She looked at Mabel right in the eyes.

"Dr. Myers told us that your brother should have died. He said that at the moment he just got carried away and tried to do everything to save him. But after thinking it better, he realized Dipper didn't really have any chance. He said he couldn't think of a possible way that could explain why your brother's heart started beating again. Dipper stopped breathing and his pulse faded. That's why he was declared dead… and that was gonna happen to you."

Grandma came closer to Mabel.

"I've always thought that… somehow… Dipper felt you two were in danger. And he decided that you had to get out of there as soon as possible… that's why he let you take his place, even when that meant something bad would happen to him."

Mabel's eyes widened. "He… did that?"

"Your brother saved you that day… On that day, Dipper gave you the biggest gift anyone could give… He gave you his own life."

The girl had an astonishment look on the face. The things she was hearing were having a deep effect inside her.

"But then… he followed you, Mabel. He couldn't leave you alone wherever you were. Because he had to make sure you were fine… and despite he was almost dead, Dipper came back, so he could keep taking care of you."

After that, Mabel was speechless. Her grandmother smiled widely when she looked at the girl face.

"There's really nothing I can do to prove what I told you, Mabel… However, there is a sign that will always remind me, and anyone who believes me, of what happened… and it is the reason why we call your brother Dipper."

"What…" Mabel whispered. "Y-You… you mean… his birthmark?"

Grandma nodded. "Yes, honey. It is not a regular birthmark though. He got it because he was too much time inside your mom… The doctors said birthmarks don't appear because of that, but they couldn't deny it was the result of what Dipper went through… I know it was… I've always known… that mark on his forehead… it represents the most important thing about who he is."

The woman seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. Mabel looked at her feet and pondered everything. It was such a big revelation what she had heard during the last minutes. Although she was still a little girl, all was perfectly clear for her.

"So…" She finally said. "…I…I almost…"

Her grandmother stopped thinking and paid attention to Mabel. "Yes, sweetie?"

Suddenly the girl started to sniffle and a soft moan was heard.

"Mabel? Are you okay?"

The girl turned her head. The tears were shining in her eyes.

"I… I almost… got Dipper killed!"

"Oh no. Don't say that."

"... I almost killed him!... and as if that wasn't bad enough… I'm the responsible for that mark that has always made the kids laugh at him!"

"No, sweetie. Come here." She put her arm around the girl. "Listen to me, Mabel. You are not responsible for any of those things. Always remember that. You didn't put yourself or Dipper in that situation and there was nothing you could've done to avoid it."

Grandma wiped of the tears from Mabel's eyes. The girl looked at her with sadness.

"You mentioned fate before, right? You could say it was fate what put both of you in danger. Now, let me tell you that fate can be changed, and that's what happened that day. You were going to die right there, but Dipper did something amazing. He changed everything. And you lived. So… don't be sad or even think on blaming yourself. Mabel, be happy that because of what your brother did, you two survived and got the chance to have a life together."

Mabel just stared at her grandmother as her words penetrated into her childish mind. Slowly, they started to erase her thoughts of guilt. The girl sniffed and leaned on the old woman's chest.

"I guess you're right." She said in a weak voice, cleaning her wet face with her sleeve. "And I think Dipper wouldn't want me to blame myself."

"Of course he wouldn't."

Mabel stayed on that position for a while. She thought again about the fact that her brother had risked his life to save her. However, this time she didn't felt sad. Out of nowhere, a smile started to form on her face.

_Dipper saved me_ She said on her mind. _He saved me_

Then she realized there was something important she didn't know yet. "Wait… Does Dipper know all this?"

The woman smiled again. "Yes, Mabel. He knows it."

"B-But… he has never mentioned it… when did you tell him?"

"It was some years ago… You had just turned ten, and came with your parents to my house to spend a weekend. One night, I noticed your brother was acting strange, so I sat next to him and asked if something was bothering him. He didn't want to tell me, but I insisted because I knew he had a problem. Seeing that no one else was in the room with us, he finally decided to open his heart to me. You know what he told me?... He said he felt weird because he had been worrying too much about you. He was afraid something bad could happen to you, and sometimes he was really scared even when you were perfectly fine. The worst part was that he had been having nightmares about you. He told me that there was probably something wrong with him. That he wasn't normal."

Grandma stopped for a moment. Mabel couldn't avoid feeling bad for her brother. _Oh Dipper…_

"Yeah, he really needed some help. So, I just told him about that day."

"And… what did he say?"

"Well, he was very surprised, that's for sure, but he didn't ask me many questions. I think he was trying to process everything. He was younger, you know."

Mabel thought about it. She did remember a time when her brother was acting stranger than usual.

"But… Dipper has always been protective of me… like since forever. Not since only two years ago."

"Well, of course. He didn't need to know about your birth to be like that. I told him about it for one reason. He always cared for you in a very special way, but he hadn't completely realized it. I tried to show him that taking care of you isn't just a family thing. It is something that has been inside him since he came to this world."

The woman took Mabel's hand on hers while she still hugged the girl.

"And that's also the reason why I told you this story, Mabel. I wanted you to know that you… are very, very special to Dipper, more than you can imagine. Protecting you is what he has done all his life and I'm sure he'll never stop doing it. He doesn't do it just because he's your brother and he's supposed to do it. It's something that goes beyond all family conventions and duties. You can't ask him to stop doing it because it's part of him. Part of his nature… For him, it's more than his job. It's his function in life. Because he loves you, Mabel… like no one else on this world does."

Mabel didn't know what was happening inside her. It was an awkward sensation. Her grandmother's arm was around her, but she felt as if somebody else was embracing her… so tightly and yet so lovingly. She suddenly remembered all the things she had thought and said about how Dipper acted in the mall. She understood that she had been wrong.

"Mabel" Her grandmother said again. "I want you to keep this inside you. Deep into your heart. So you always know it. It doesn't matter if you don't remember everything I told you, as long as you know that Dipper will be there for you all the time. So, whenever you can't understand what he does, like it happened today, please try not to be angry at him. He's not perfect, you know… You two are growing so fast and you'll soon face new challenges. And sometimes you'll make mistakes, but that's when you need to trust each other the most… I don't know exactly what it is that awaits you in the future… but whatever happens , I know your brother will keep you safe and won't let anyone hurt you."

Mabel noticed there was something abnormal about the last thing her grandmother said.

"Hurt me? Why would anyone want to hurt me?" She asked.

Grandma looked at her more seriously. "This world is dangerous, Mabel. There are things that we are not usually aware of. Things that can harm us… Sometimes, I wonder if that electrical failure the day you were born was really an accident…"

Mabel couldn't understand what her grandmother was talking about. The woman didn't say a word for a moment. Then she sighed and a smile appeared on her face once more.

"But that's not what I want to talk about now. What really matters is this. You are a unique girl, Mabel. In many ways. Dipper knows it too, and he'll do anything to protect you… He's also very special. Both of you are different from the rest of the children. I knew it when I saw you the first time. You are gonna do great things… But only if you stay united. It's okay if sometimes you fight because both of you have your own distinctive qualities, and they could make you disagree at some point. But never let some stupid argument break the bond you two have… do you understand me, Mabel?"

The girl looked to her feet. "Yes, Grandma" She said. "I know I shouldn't have felt that way about Dipper… and I'm sorry."

"I'm glad to hear that." The old woman said. "Now, why don't you go and tell him that."

Mabel nodded. "Yeah."

She got on her feet and slowly walked to the door. Suddenly she stopped as if she had remembered something. She turned around and threw herself into her grandmother's arms.

"Thank you, grandma… for… everything." The girl said.

"Oh honey… you know you can always count on me." The woman said as she returned the big hug.

Mabel separated from her grandma and arranged her messy hair. She walked to the door and opened it, but before she went outside she turned around again.

"Grandma?" She said. "You really think I'm special?"

The old lady stood up and walked to her.

"I know you are special, Mabel." She put a hand on the girl's cheek.

"That's why they sent you a guardian."

_O_

Dipper was lying on his bed, looking at the ceiling of his bedroom. He had been there for the last half hour, trying to figure out what he had done wrong.

_I mean, I was right… right?_ He thought.

_Yeah, but at some point you should've messed it up, because not only did she hit you with a frozen tea cup and all its content, but also everyone wasn't looking good at you._ He answered himself.

_Okay, maybe dragging her wasn't the best idea… but I had to take her out of there. That boy was gonna take her to assault the candy store or something._

_All that's fine, but then why she didn't listen to you?_

_Because she's always trying to look on the brighter side of things._

_Then it was your job to make her realize what she was getting into._

_Exactly… only that it didn't work… it worked, she came home… but she hates me now._

_Yeah… why?_

_Probably because I ruined her chances with a guy she liked and I embarrassed her in front of everyone._

_We are where we started. I had to do it._

_So that's it? That's how it's gonna be every time you get her out of trouble? _

_I don't know. What else could I have done?_

_Maybe you could've followed her._

_No, letting her be near that criminal was bad enough._

_You should've left as soon as you saw him._

_This is useless. Thinking of what I should've done is not gonna solve anything._

_And besides, you were doing the right thing. She was the one breaking the laws._

_She was only gonna walk in the mall._

_And next time she would be walking in the park, and then on the cinema, and then his house… before you know it she would be part of his gang._

_She was wrong! She was totally wrong! And I was just trying to protect het!_

...

_Then… why did she call me idiot_

_You were doing it for her safety._

_All I did was trying to keep her safe._

_You tried to be gentle at first._

_She didn't listen._

_She trapped you with that promise you made._

_It didn't matter. This was more important._

_You tried to reason with her._

_She only wanted to have fun. That's all she's always looking for._

_Yeah, that's how Mabel is._

_And sometimes… it just drives me crazy!_

_And it can be really irritating._

_It makes me lose my mind!_

_How she doesn't worry about… nothing!_

_She doesn't want to take a time to think on the consequences of her actions.._

_And she wants to make you participate in her madness!_

_God! I can't stand it!_

_She's so naïve!_

_So childish!_

_And stubborn!_

_Just like a baby!_

_So STUPID!_

Dipper froze the moment he had that thought. He couldn't believe he had insulted his sister in that way. Everything was clear now.

_I hurt her._

_Yeah_

_I didn't call her stupid, but I said she was like a baby, that she was silly…_

_And everyone heard you._

_I made her look like she is useless._

_And that's not true._

_She's distracted and carefree._

_But she's not useless. She's really smart and has lots of talents._

_And she always finds a creative solution to her problems._

_And she's certainly not a little girl._

_No she's not… and sometimes she's wiser than me._

_But you didn't care about that when you yelled at her._

_All because I lost control._

_And got angry._

_Angry that she didn't care for her safety at first._

_But then it was because she didn't do what I wanted._

_Because she was annoying me._

_Because I didn't understand her._

_Because sometimes I feel tired of taking care of her._

_And I wanted to let her know that._

_And make her feel bad._

_And I did it._

_That was wrong._

_So wrong_

_No wonder why she did it_

_Why she called me…_

_And it's true_

_Now I know it_

_I am_

_Yes, I am.._

Dipper rolled in his bed and looked at the ceiling of his bedroom.

"I am an idiot."

He stayed looking up for a while.

_Well, what are you doing here? Go and tell her that!_

_Before it's too late_

_Do you think that an hour in her room is gonna fix everything?_

_Just because mom talked to her it doesn't mean everything is solved._

_Yeah, she needs to know I'm sorry._

_Even when I was looking out for her, I didn't have to treat her that way._

Dipper jumped out of her bed and walked to the door.

_It's not gonna be easy though._

_Maybe she doesn't want to talk to you anymore._

_Maybe she needs more time…_

_No! You know what? Just do it!_

Dipper turned the doorknob and opened the door.

_What? Am I waiting for her to come and knock on my.._

Dipper's thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Mabel standing right in front of him. She had one arm extended, ready to knock the door.

...

...

...

They stayed there. Looking at each other. Without saying a single word.

Until Mabel spoke.

"Can I… Uh… can I come in?"

"…S-S-Sure… " Dipper stuttered.

Mabel walked inside the room quickly. She hesitated for a second and then took seat on the bed. Dipper closed the door. He wasn't sure about what to do now. So he just went to his bed and sat next to Mabel.

There was silence again for about a minute.

_Well, she's here now._ Dipper thought. _And I don't know what to say._

Mabel tried to be calmed, but that didn't work. She was stroking a bang of her hair with one hand as she scratched her skirt with the other. _How do I say it… What was I gonna say? _She thought.

"Mabel…" Dipper started.

"Yes?" Mabel answered, turning her face to him.

Their eyes met, and Dipper froze. _Oh come on… there's only one way to do this_ He looked down.

"I'm sorry." He said.

Mabel wasn't expecting that.

"I'm sorry… for yelling at you… and embarrassing you… and for ruining this day…"

_He's apologizing _She thought. She also looked to the floor.

"I never wanted to do that. I was just worried for you and…" He looked at her. "I should've never said those things about you… because they are not true… and you were right… I was an idiot… but I'll never do it again.."

"Shut up" Mabel just said.

_Oh no_ Dipper thought. _She hates me_

Mabel raised her head and faced him. She actually looked angry. But she didn't express any anger. She came close to him and slowly surrounded him with her arms, as she put her chin on his shoulder.

Dipper didn't know what to say to this. He didn't even hug her back.

"I… I don't even care why I was mad." She said on the verge of tears. "I don't care what you did that made me so angry… All I know is that I don't want to feel that way about you ever again!"

"Mabel…" Dipper managed to say.

"… I came here to tell you that I'm so so sorry for calling you idiot… you are not an idiot… and for soaking you… but what I regret the most is not seeing what you were trying to do."

She broke the hug and looked at him in the eyes.

"You were just trying to protect me… from something I haven't seen. I didn't understand it and… I think I was being a little silly too… You were doing the right thing and what I did was awful."

"But… I was wrong at something." He said.

"No, that's what you do. That's what you have always done since I can remember…" She said smiling at him. "You take care of me… and I don't want you to stop doing it."

Dipper was astonished with his sister's words. She just went on.

"I… talked with grandma… She told me the story." She kept smiling.

"… Story? W-What story?"

With one hand Mabel lift Dipper's hair up, revealing the boy's hidden birthmark.

"The story about this." She whispered.

"About… Oooohh…" Dipper's eyes widened as he finally got it. "…W-What… exactly did she tell you?"

"Everything"

"… I see…"

"She told me what you did for me."

Dipper looked away.

"Dipper…" Mabel said slowly. "You… died for me."

The boy didn't say anything. Mabel put a hand on his cheek.

"You gave me your life… and thanks to you I'm here right now… and I'm so happy you came back to be with me!"

The girl pulled him into another big hug. It was a longer one. She felt warmth in her heart. It felt so good. She waited for him to say something. But he didn't do it. In fact, Dipper hadn't even moved for the last minute. Mabel noticed it. She pulled away and looked at him confused.

"Hey… what's wrong?" She asked.

Dipper answered without facing her.

"Mabel… do you really think I did that?"

The girl didn't know why he said that. "Yeah, Dipper… I know you did it. Why do you.."

Mabel stopped the moment she realized her brother wasn't sharing her thoughts.

Indignation appeared on her face. It was barely noticeable but it was there, as well as in her voice.

"You don't?"

"I... I… it's just that…"

"How can you not believe it?! Grandma said she told you! You know what happened, Dipper!"

Her brother continued to stare at the floor while she felt the warm sensation inside her starting to fade away.

"Mabel… it's a nice thought… a very nice idea… but let's face it." He dared to look at her. "What are really the chances I could've done that?"

Mabel couldn't just believe her brother's words.

"There's no proof that it happened… only what grandma said. Not even mom and dad believe it… and… you know I can't assure you I did it."

Mabel was about to yell something at him when an idea paralyzed her. _Is it true?_ Her own mind asked her. Why did she accept it in the first place? She trusted her grandmother, but it was something else. The woman herself said there was no evidence, only her words. But Mabel just knew it when she heard it. It was like she had known it her whole life, but she needed someone to remind her about it.

But… Why couldn't Dipper accept it?

Then her grandmother's words came back to her mind. "_Some things are so incredible people just can't believe in them."_ Was that happening to him? It couldn't be.

_Oh Dipper_ She thought. _Is this too incredible for you?_

She took another look at her brother's face, and she could barely see his birthmark behind his hair.

"Alright." She finally said. "You want a proof? Here's your proof!" She yelled him as she stood up.

He took Dipper by the arm and forced him to stand up too. Then she dragged him to a large mirror near a wall.

"There!" She said lifting his hair again. "It's right in front of your big head. Over your eyes. Maybe that's why you can't see it well!"

Dipper was a little scared because of his sister's sudden move. He just watched his reflection.

"You know where that came from?" She asked.

He didn't answer. She stood in front of him.

"Dipper… this mark is the proof that… you love me enough to do anything for me."

She waited for a reaction from him, but there wasn't any.

"Why can't you believe it?!" She said with a loud voice.

Dipper looked away again. He couldn't speak while seeing her big brown eyes.

"I'm gonna tell you the truth, Mabel. It's not that easy." He said. "There's a part of me… that wants to believe. Really… I want to believe that I saved you. That I risked everything for you. That I did something amazing… but then there's also this other part, which can't accept it… because it just sounds so wonderful that… I can't see myself doing that… I mean, look at me! I always make mistakes. Sometimes I can't even do the more simple things a brother should do."

Mabel let her head fall. Their mom and dad, and all the doctors… and now also Dipper? One thing was for sure. She didn't care if everyone else thought it was only a grandma's story. But he didn't believing it… This wasn't the Dipper she had in her head as the best brother in the world.

…Or maybe he was right. Maybe it was too good to be true. Dipper was just a normal boy, with nothing special about him, and there wasn't anything special about her either. He was a loving brother, but she may have idealized him… So, that would mean all the things her grandmother said were only… a nice thought?

"But you know what, Mabel?" Dipper suddenly said.

The girl didn't raise her head. "…What"

"…There's also another part of me." He said. "One that I've recently noticed… and I think it does believe."

Mabel thought she had heard wrong, so she looked up. Dipper also looked at her.

"And I think I'm gonna listen to this part. You see, this part believes that it could be true I saved you that day. And what's more important, it believes I can become the brother I want to be for you."

Dipper took a step closer to Mabel.

"Do you want to know why?" He asked.

Mabel could notice the tears in his eyes. "Why?"

Dipper put his hands over Mabel's shoulders.

"Because even though I can't be sure that twelve years ago I decided to lose my life in order to save yours… If someday you're in danger… I know that's exactly what I would do."

This time, it was Dipper the one who hugged Mabel.

The girl immediately forgot all her doubts and concerns. Only one thing filled her mind. Those words her brother said… they were all she needed to hear. They let her be absolutely sure about the most important thing…

_Dipper loves me just the way I thought… NOW _

All this time, she had been worrying for something that could've happened years ago. She had been thinking on that distant Dipper from a fantastic story, while she had forgotten the Dipper who was in front of her, the real one. He would die for her right now if that meant saving her. Nothing else mattered. If someone had proven her in that moment that nothing her grandmother told her was true, she wouldn't have cared at all. Maybe he hadn't been a hero that day, but there was no doubt inside her that he would be her hero every time she could need it. He had just told her that. And she knew it, she just knew it.

"I know It, Dipper." She whispered to his ear.

The kids kept hugging for a while, none of them wanting to let go. Both of them felt that warm sensation which they knew only they could cause inside each other.

"Mabel" Dipper said with a broken voice. "You are not a baby… you are not even a little girl anymore… but you will always be the most precious thing to me in the whole world, and I will always try to keep you safe… and today I was scared because I thought that precious thing was in danger… and I got furious… and I lost control… and I'm sorry for hurting you by saying all those things that are not true."

Dipper separated from Mabel and looked at her in the eyes.

"You are smart, strong, and you have been there for me always… You are awesome, Mabel."

Then he kissed her on the forehead and hugged her even more tightly. It wasn't long until he started sobbing.

Mabel had her own tears running down her face.

"Hey… it's okay… don't cry, Dipper" She said, trying to comfort him. "Come here."

She guided her brother to the bed, where he sat. She opened a drawer on Dipper's nightstand and took some tissues. She then sat next to him and cleaned his red face. After a while, Dipper calmed down and Mabel wiped her own tears.

"Dip." She said. "Grandma mentioned that she told you about our birth because you were feeling really bad for me. She said you had nightmares… I don't want you to suffer like that for me… I guess I can be irresponsible sometimes… but you know what? I think that's over… I'm gonna change, Dipper. No more crazy Mabel… I'm gonna be normal…"

Dipper sniffed loudly. "No… don't do that." He said. "I don't want you to change who you are. You are just great the way you are. If someone has to change, that's me… I guess you are right… I worry too much, and sometimes it's not even that important. I suppose I could… you know, learn something from you… to have some fun and all that."

Mabel wasn't comfortable with that. "I'll tell you something, Dipper. You keep doing the worrying, and I take care of the fun. But you promise to control yourself and try to relax, and I promise I'll reduce the craziness to the safest level as possible, okay?"

"As possible?" Dipper asked.

"I swear I will try my best." Mabel said.

Dipper smiled and offered a hand to Mabel. "Deal"

"Deal!" She said.

Then both smiled and laughed a little. Mabel took more tissues and cleaned again her brother's eyes. She also cleaned his forehead.

"You know something, Dipper? Grandma said that your birthmark will always remind her of the day of our birth, and it makes sense for her. But for me, I think it will always remind me of this birthday."

"Really?" Dipper said.

"Yes. Grandma said that twelve years ago you gave me the biggest gift anyone could give. And today you gave me the best birthday present ever… you made me realize that I have my own personal guardian, and that he'll never go away. So from now on, every time I look at your birthmark, I will remember what you said today."

After saying that, Mabel leaned closer and kissed Dipper's birthmark.

Dipper smiled widely. "And… what about what happened that day?"

"…I know that the guy who told me he would die for me was the same one taking care of me that day."

Dipper chuckled. "Even though that guy is sometimes a jerk?"

"You are not a jerk, Dipper."

"Not even a bit?"

"Okay… maybe you are sometimes a little dork."

"Only a little?"

"…No… a big one… a really big dork!"

Mabel jumped over him and they started rolling and laughing loudly on the bed.

"You're a big, huge, poophead dork!" Mabel yelled as she climbed over Dipper and started tickling him.

"Oh really?! Dipper said. "Well, maybe dorkiness runs in the family!"

"No! Mabel is a genius! You are the only dork! DIPPER DORK!"

Outside the bedroom, a woman and her mother were hearing behind the door.

"Let's go, honey." Grandma said. "We still have a birthday party to prepare."

"How did you do it, mom?"

"I only told them what they already knew."

Mrs. Pines didn't understand. "No really, what was it that you were talking about for so much time?"

"Let's discuss it in the kitchen, okay? I think there should be a birthday cake in the oven by now." She said.

Both women went downstairs.

Inside the room, a severely tickled Dipper managed to release himself and pin Mabel down.

"Okay! If you don't want to be a dork, then I'll call you silly!" Dipper said smiling.

Mabel frowned. "Shut up, dork! You'll regret yourself!"

"SILLY MABEL! It actually sounds good, you know?"

"UGHH!" With an incredible effort, Mabel put her feet below Dipper and pushed him on the stomach, sending her brother flying through the air behind her. He fell to the floor beside the bed.

"HA! There you have! Mabel is the king of the hill! Woo hoo!" She screamed, standing on the bed. "As for you, don't' you dare to call me silly again, foolish boy!"

Dipper just stayed there without making any move. He hadn't been so happy for a long time, despite all the pain he was feeling and the fact that Mabel was jumping on his bed and turning it into a real mess.

"Okay! That's enough!" She said and jumped to the floor. "Dipper! What are you doing down there?! We have a party to plan!"

Dipper stood up slowly and let himself fall over the covers. He's head hanging from the edge of the bed. "Oooowww… Mabel, haven't you planned this party for weeks?"

"Yes! But there are some last minute details we have to take care of. You know that Angelica and Danielle are in charge of the surprise of the night, right? Well, from what I heard from them today at class, I can tell they have some funny ideas for me. They're playing a prank on me, I'm sure! But we are gonna strike before, or at least counter-strike!"

"Well, we can't do much with the things we brought from the arcade." Dipper said.

"No, those things are for children. We are gonna have to build our own weapons." Mabel searched under her shirt and took out a folded paper. She sat next to Dipper's head. He raised his head to have a better look of Mabel's little project. "I came up with some cool ideas during History class. Remember when we were seeing the different uses of electricity?"

"Uh… yeah… w-what are you thinking on?" He could tell whatever she had in her head wasn't very responsible.

"Ok, to summarize we need something that generates electricity… and water! Lots of water!"

_Oh my God_ "Mabel…"

"And we'll need to place a camera at the precise spot so we can capture their horrible looks! Man, they're gonna take an eternity to fix their hair!"

"Excellent, Mabel. And by the way, how are your craziness levels now?"

"Oh, they are good! They are.. Oh, you mean that…" Mabel said, getting what he meant.

"Exactly"

"…Well hehe… I guess… I was going too far with the 'electric shower', wasn't I?... Yeah, maybe lower the levels a little."

Her brother just looked at her.

"What?" She asked.

A soft smile appeared on Dipper's face. "I love you, little silly."

Mabel couldn't avoid smiling too. "I love you, big dork."

...

_Happy Birthday Mystery Twins_


End file.
